The start date of the main draw of the tournament was originally slated for Jan. 18 and organisers have been locked in drawn-out negotiations with local government over COVID-19 health security measures.
* Ferrari Formula One boss Mattia Binotto says he still enjoys the full support of his superiors after the team's worst season in 40 years and is targeting a return to the top three next year. The sport's oldest and most successful team finished sixth overall in the 2020 constructors' championship, without a race win.
* Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie was named US Soccer's male player of the year, the governing body said on Friday as he closes out his fourth year on the national team. The 22-year-old Texan joined Italian champions Juve in August on a year-long loan from Bundesliga club Schalke 04 and has scored four goals with two assists in 29 appearances for both teams in 2020.
* Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has no doubt Lewis Hamilton will sign a contract extension keeping him at Formula One champions Mercedes, saying the two parties had until the start of testing next year to get the deal done. The 35-year-old Hamilton, who wrapped up a record-equalling seventh world championship title this season and became the most successful driver in F1 history, is out of contract at the end of this year.
* Atlanta United have appointed former Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze as head coach on a two-year deal, the Major League Soccer club announced on Friday. Heinze, who played for Paris St Germain, Manchester United and Real Madrid, began his coaching career in 2015 in Argentina and last managed Velez Sarsfield, where he spent two seasons befre stepping down at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
* The LPGA will distribute a record US$76.45 million in official prize money in 2021, the tour announced on Friday, with 34 events scheduled across three continents next year.
* Borussia Dortmund's teenage striker Youssoufa Moukoko became the youngest player to score in the Bundesliga but ended up on the losing side as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin after conceding two set-piece goals on Friday. The 16-year-old scored on the hour mark, latching on to a Marco Reus through ball and lashing home to break the record set by Florian Wirtz, who netted for Bayer Leverkusen against Bayern Munich aged 17 years and 34 days in May 2020.
* The WTA will kick off its 2021 season in Abu Dhabi from Jan 5 to 13 but tournaments in Auckland and Shenzhen will not take place this year, tour organisers said on Saturday as they released their calendar for the first seven weeks of the season. Australian Open qualifying will take place in Dubai from Jan 10 to 13.
* Italy's top flight soccer league Serie A aims to raise at least 1.15 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) per season over the next three years from the sale of pay-TV rights for its home market.
* Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says there are no regrets at Stamford Bridge over the decision to release Declan Rice as a teenager after the midfielder joined West Ham United and emerged as a key player. Rice, a regular starter for Gareth Southgate's England side, featured in all 38 of West Ham's league games last season and has been linked in the British media with a move back to Chelsea in a potential 70 million pounds (US$94.45 million) transfer deal next month.
* Relegation-threatened Bundesliga club Schalke 04 sacked manager Manuel Baum on Friday after a 28-game winless run in the top-flight and appointed Dutchman Huub Stevens as interim boss. The 41-year-old Baum's last match was a 2-0 home defeat by Freiburg on Wednesday which left them rooted to the bottom of the standings with just four points after 12 games.
* Manchester United's dismal home record in the Premier League has nothing to do with a mental block or the absence of fans, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, as they prepare to renew their rivalry with Leeds United on Sunday. Solskjaer's United have won just one of their six home league games this season, with Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all coming away from Old Trafford with victories.
* Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will not be rested in the coming weeks as he is crucial to the club's hopes as they struggle to score goals this season, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday. City are ninth in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Liverpool, and have four games over the next 10 days, including a League Cup quarter-final at Arsenal.
* Mexican Sergio Perez will replace Alexander Albon at Red Bull next season, the Formula One team said on Friday. The 30-year-old Perez, who became Formula One’s newest winner when he took victory for Racing Point in the penultimate race of the season in Bahrain last month, will slot in alongside Max Verstappen with Albon relegated to the role of test and reserve driver.
* Embattled Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said on Friday that he would only step down if he thought it was the best decision for the club as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. The Blades were the surprise package last season when the promoted club finished ninth but a 3-2 defeat at home on Thursday to Manchester United has left Wilder's side with only one point in 13 games.
* Canoeing, taekwondo and modern pentathlon won a spot at the Krakow-Malopolska 2023 European Games after the European Olympic Committees ratified their inclusion on Friday. The inclusion of these three sports in the third edition of the Games will offer qualification opportunities for athletes ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
* Spectators will be permitted to attend Saturday’s final of the Asian Champions League between Persepolis and Ulsan Hyundai in Doha, the first time fans will be allowed to watch the competition in person since play was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Arsenal's Mikel Arteta says he loves being in football management despite describing his first year in charge at the Emirates Stadium as one of the most challenging years in the club's history. The Spanish coach celebrates his one-year anniversary as Arsenal manager on Sunday (Dec 20), a day after their Premier League clash against Everton at Goodison Park.
* Manchester City have helped raise spirits in the festive season by donating funds and other gifts to vulnerable families in the local community, the Premier League club said on Friday.
* Petrochemicals giant Ineos has acquired a one third stake in the Mercedes Formula One team, the world champions said in a statement on Friday.
* The 2021 men's and women's U-17 European Championships have been cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, UEFA said on Friday.
* Amazon said on Friday it has secured exclusive rights to screen top European Champions League matches in Italy on its Prime Video streaming platform for the 2021-2024 seasons, in its first foray into broadcasting sports events in the country.
* E-sports and breakdancing will debut in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as full medal sports after being approved by the Olympic Council of Asia, the governing body said on Friday.
